Planning · 3 min read

What exclusive hire actually means

It is a phrase that means different things at different venues, and the differences only become apparent on the day.

What it means here

When you book, the whole space is yours for the duration. No second event in another room, nobody else in the kitchen, no staff member working at a desk in the corner. The courtyard outside is communal with the rest of the building, and that is the only shared part.

What it means at some other venues

Exclusive use of one room in a building that has three. Or exclusive until 6pm, when the evening booking starts setting up around you. Or exclusive except for the venue’s own staff, who need the kitchen.

None of that is dishonest, exactly. It is just worth asking about directly.

Questions that get a straight answer

• Is there another booking in the building at the same time?
• What time does the next booking arrive to set up?
• Will any of your staff be in the space during our event?
• Is the kitchen ours, or shared?

Why it matters more than it sounds

Exclusive hire is mostly about how freely people behave. Teams talk differently when there is no chance of being overheard. A workshop runs differently when nobody walks through it. It is the difference between hiring a room and having the run of a place.

Written by the House of Transformation team.